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The sensation startled him. He yanked his hand away. He’d never felt anything like that before.
“Okay. We have a deal,” she said, drawing him from his thoughts. “Just remember this wasn’t an agreement to sell the inn.”
“I’ll remember.” He swallowed hard. “I just need you to sign off on letting me list the property.” He moved to the desk and grabbed the release form. He handed it to her. “If you could just sign at the bottom.”
She frowned at him. “You had this planned all along.”
“No. I was hoping that you’d agree to sell and so I was prepared.”
She hesitated but then she read the paper and signed her name. She gave it back to him. “Just remember I haven’t agreed to sell.”
“I won’t forget.” He returned the paper to the desk. “Now will you help me dispose of all this?” He waved his hand around at the bags of clothes.
She was quiet for a moment as her gaze surveyed the full cart. “I really need to get this information for the bicentennial out by the end of the day.”
“What if I help you when we get back?” It seemed like a reasonable solution.
She arched a brow. “This is that important to you?” When he nodded, she asked, “And you’ll really help me this afternoon?”
“Of course. My word is my bond.”
“You say that like you’ve said it many times.”
He nodded. “It’s part of my business slogan.”
She moved to the cart and sat down on the driver’s side. He had no choice but to be the passenger. He wasn’t used to being in that position. He was quickly finding that Jo had a way of putting him in situations that were unfamiliar to him. He wonder what was next, but he decided it was probably best he didn’t know.
“What sort of business are you in?” She pressed the accelerator and they were off.
“I’m in real estate.” He might have left it at that with most people, but he felt it necessary for her to know that he wasn’t just a real estate agent. “I own my own real estate office. It’s one of the biggest in the San Diego area.”
“Oh.” She didn’t sound impressed. “That’s nice.”
Her response totally deflated him. What would it take to impress her? Not that he felt a need to impress her, but if he did, he wondered what it would take.
She should be working.
Instead, she was driving through Bluestar like some tourist.
Josie had only agreed to this outing because Lane offered to help her with the bicentennial celebration. She hoped by getting him involved with the inn that he would see it differently—he would become invested and less anxious to sell it.
As they passed through the small island town, she pointed out places of interest from the Purple Guppy Pub to Whippy Dips ice cream shop. She didn’t have time to take him past the Elegant Bakery, because if she’d have gone near the place, she would have had to stop. There was no way she could smell the delicious scents and not buy an éclair or a cupcake. Her whole family loved Hannah’s sweet treats. She had a feeling if Lane stayed in Bluestar long enough, he’d love the bakery too.
They crossed over Main Street and then turned onto Sea Glass Drive. Both sides of the road were lined with cute little shops. None of them were chain stores. All them were owned by locals, and thankfully, the tourists loved the quaint stores.
She pulled to a stop in front of Second Love. “We’re here.”
Lane stepped out of the golf cart and stretched. “There are a lot of shops on the island.”
She nodded. “Yes, there are. If you want something, it’s probably here. And if not, it can be shipped in from the mainland in a day or so.” When he went to grab the clothes from the back of the cart, she said, “Leave them for now. We need to go have a word with Kitty first.”
“Who?”
“Kitty Monahan. She owns Second Love.”
“I can wait here.”
“Nonsense. Come on.” Josie waved for him to follow her.
